Perhaps you’ve seen them. (Actually, how could you avoid them?) I’m talking about those annoying Omnaris commercials with the crappy computer animation in which a bunch of military-looking men in helmets ram an Omnaris sprayer into the woman’s nose to fix her nasal allergies:

Something’s always bugged me about that commercial, more than the amateurish computer animation and the cheesy, “Omnaris, to the nose!” battle cry of the mini-white troops. Yes, I see the obvious (and lame) homage to Woody Allen’s Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). Even so, something bugged me about the commercial. Now I think I know what it is, and revere (actually, Mrs. revere) has shown me:

Maybe I am just a clueless male, but now that it’s been pointed out to me, I think Mrs. R nailed it. It’s so obvious. A bunch of militaristic “soldiers” jamming a big phallic object into an orifice. Yeah, that just about sums it up. It’s either nose sex or nose rape.

As Blf @2 said – live in a country where pharmaceutical advertising is heavily restricted. Then you just get the usual mindless crap without the insult of listening to haemorroid treatments during dinner.

And at least they haven’t done a similar commercial with of Eneman being jammed into a differing orifice (and where has he been lately anyway?).

I don’t have TV, but borrowed one for the Olympics, which is when I saw this ad. I immediately told my husband that it looked as if the little men were shoving a big penis up the woman’s nose and thought it was a ridiculous ad. He laughed and agreed. I am not prone to sexual innuendo and often reprimand my sons for “toilet humor”, but this ad was just completely over the top and hilariously stupid.

I envy those commenters who live in civilized countries that prohibit rx ads. I avoid most of it by not having TV, but when I watch the news somewhere else I see that it is nothing but Viagra, Cialis and all sorts of OTC “remedies”.

I love the Cialis commercials. Or maybe they are Viagra. I can’t tell. The one with the guy carrying on a conversation with his reflection in a window has much bigger problems than his limp little fireman.
Then there is the man who is practicing to give the “I have a friend” excuse. “I have a friend who can’t get my peepee hard.” What??? This guy also spends to much time talking to himself. He should see someone about that.

Certainly force is implied, and an object being inserted into an orifice is shown. It’s a wee bit Freudian for me.
As for actual rape — we can’t know if the woman (animated presumptively female nose in this case) has consented to having the animated object inserted. . . Oh man I can’t believe I just wasted 10 minutes on this.

blf (2) nailed it. Don’t have a tv set. It was commercials that finally drove me to get rid of the tv set a 15 years ago. If want to watch shows I’ll watch them on the computer, or borrow the DVD set from the library (burned through 4 seasons of Dexter in a week–I hated that last episode!! No more watching that show now), or be nice to someone with a bit-torrent account. TV is so 20th century.
–dan

We had/have a similarly dodgy one here in the UK for Gaviscon, as commented on in the Guardian. I hasten to add that I’m entirely innocent and naive, and only “got it” because it was commented on on another blog…

DLC – Inserting an object into an orifice is not necessarily representative of sex. And I really don’t see the implication of force. If anything, the little guys are having severe trouble getting the spray to the nose.

I was JUST this very weekend remarking to Mrs. Maxx that I derive specific pleasure from the DVR and its ability to fast forward through the more noxious commercials… and I found myself citing THREE glaring examples:

1]the OMNARiS spot (perhaps even MORE annoying to me with a background in military medicine),

2]THAT tragically rude AXE (i think… I deliberately dont want to recall the product) deodorant commercial with the firehouse flow of water from the armpits,

3] the truly grating recent series of HP commercials with the witless British persona… I love the British, but you now know what commercial I am referring to!!

When I grow up, I want to invent a mute button on the remote that automatically silences the commercials for 60 second intervals…

Omnaris is NOT just another nasal corticsteroid. They tell you that in the commercial. IT IS BIGGER, BETTER, STRONGER, MORE COSTLY, MORE EFFECTIVE, likely smells a little like grandma’s holiday cookies, and backed by a PARAMILITARY Allergy Strike Team.

Gotta Wonder what sort of white suit, white boot camp themed goodies they would give out with their sales force, if they were still permitted to distribute those little mind controlling pharm trinkets, like pens, post it notes, desk clocks… and other tools of the BIGPHARMA Conspiracy.

But it does make me want to dig out a copy of Woody Allen’s SLEEPER for a viewing!